Klipsch speaker choices


Hello,
First post here but long time 2 channel guy. 

I currently have a system with Klipsch RF3 speakers and a crossover with stereo subs.  Sound is good but I think the highs and mids are still a bit edgy.  Bought a Schiit Aegir with passive preamp and see vast improvement.  All my interconnects and speaker wire have also been upgraded. I just listened to the RF7 iii but very briefly.  Initial impression is it was more laid back but I am wondering how that speaker sounds vs the Heritage box speakers.  I will probably listen to the Heresy 4 first but wondering if there is a difference in sound between the tower and the box speakers. 

I also have read about the Tekton speakers but am hesitant since I can't listen to them.  It is all over the place opinion wise about the Tektons.  The Klipsch Heresy are within driving distance for an audition.  They will have several models to listen to if I talk myself into going further up the cost ladder.  Any opinions would be greatly appreciated. 
128x128daledeee1
mrdecibel, I have appreciated your input over the years while looking for ways to improve my sound system, even beyond speakers, so thought I'd add some clarity on the dampening mod.  I understand some horn and speaker combinations can yield better results for the same mod.  Long throat metal horns like the Altec 811b or RCF H3709 can benefit from dampening (and if using an 811b and the cabinet extends past the sides of the horn, be sure to use foam on the cabinet like Altec did on the Model 19). 

As mentioned, I replaced the Forte I midrange compression driver with the earlier Heresy's, and at that time I also purchased the Heresy horns, model K-701.  The driver was a construction quality and sonic improvement.  However, I was surprised that the earlier K-701 horns lacked much of the outside molded webbing for structural support compared to the late 1980s versions in the Forte I (and I assume Heresy speakers of that timeframe.)  Tapping them showed a marked difference in ringing and sustain with the webbed horns obviously being better damped. 

So I kept and applied damping material to the webbed horns. Also, as mentioned, made sure the horn gasket was in place and the horn properly tighten to the baffle, something far more important.  

For me, with this speaker, the other earlier performed mods were more noticeable improvements.  The "no appreciable difference" would have been based on that.  It may have also been because of additional work on the cabinets, like having them properly sealed, etc., had also already been done.

However, I appreciate that the damping material could play a large roll in the results.  I used 1/4" Dynamat dense foam sound deadener because I had very good results when used to quite interiors of classic cars.  All of the horn's outside surface area, including in between the webbing, was covered.  How does that compare to your method?

As far as the sound of Klipsch speakers, or any high efficiency horn loaded speaker combination like older Altecs, part of the enjoyment is the particular sound and dynamic range they give.  If that's what the original poster prefers, great, then follow that path and include tubes electronics to make the most of it.  To each their own, but remember that most albums of any type of music in the 1960s and 1970s were mixed listening through 2-way monitors with horns by Altec, and were good enough for The Beatles and Mr. Martin.  (Not trying to start a debate of point source studio monitors vs. loudspeaker).




I don't think Heresy IIIs have a particular tonal response...horns are often more "immediate" sounding because of their efficiency and that's a good thing, but my experience with these things indicates they're somewhat tonally neutral in the sense that nothing jumps out as harsh treble or mids...they're simply coherent and clear, and revealing of whatever's driving them.
@mrdecibel 

" there is absolutely no good reason in buying a Klipsch speaker "....from the guy who thought, and probably still does ( and not so long ago ), that original Advents were the best there was, regardless of cost....I take what Helo says, with a single grain of salt.....however, he is, as all are, entitled to opinions. Enjoy ! MrD.

Please show me where I said Original Advents are/were the best there was/is, regardless of cost. I've never once made such a statement on Audiogon or anywhere else. I have, however, stated that in an A/B comparison with $3K Vandersteen 2CE Sig IIs, I preferred my NEW LARGE ADVENTS.  Please don't misquote me. Further, it was you who influenced me to perform the Heresy III damping mods, which resulted in zero net improvement - a fantastic waste of time and money. So maybe it is your words that should be taken with salt.

Lastly, have a listen to a pair of speakers with an truly exceptional, clean midrange, something like the Spendor A4, a Stirling Broadcast, or an ATC monitor, and you'll realize the Klipsch Heritage line needs more than some damping material to do away with inherent design weaknesses. They're certainly not the worst speakers out there. I still listen to mine, but over the last couple years I've found much better value elsewhere. I'm inclined to share my honest opinions and experiences so that others may achieve better sound for their hard-earned dollars. Unlike some here, my statements are not born out of brand fanaticism. 


Hey..."Mr. D" guilted me into damping my mid horns and it was a fun and cheap mod that made 'em sound somewhat cleaner and was worth it, so THANKS "D"...I've heard all of the speakers helomech mentions...a couple of 'em extensively, and I still maintain that Heresy IIIs have mids that utterly  give up nothing to those brands, and in fact I'll argue that in terms of lifelike tonal qualities and realism, they're more to my liking relative to any of those...note that worrying about those pesky "hard earned dollars" would suggest avoiding pricey mini monitors (although I do own a few for near-field mini monitoring) or $3,500 A4s (which I like actually but they're too inefficient, and simply another ho hum "drivers in a box" design) over a pair of sub 2 grand Heresy IIIs, which can sound like actual music on 2 watts. I'm starting to sound like Guttenberg but I have no audio brand fanaticism, although nobody makes anything like a Heresy III for me to compare mine to...except...uh...
Klipsch offer a unique sound as do many speaker brands. I have listened to many a speaker brand over the years and have enjoyed the differences in sound reproduction. Klipsch Heritage excite the listening experience to a more live and visceral sound reproduction. This sound is not for everyone, but if you like the sound of a live performance and the immediacy of it than I would say get you some Klipsch Heritage speakers. Yes they have somewhat of an old school sound, perhaps that's why in my 52 years in this hobby I go back to Klipsch every time. There is a reason this brand has been around for so long they continue to evolve their basic principles of sound reproduction. 
Helo, I appreciate your response. Unlike you, I do accept, and appreciate, that not everyone listens the same, uses the same " references " when listening to recorded music, and that each individual, determines what it is that " they are after ", in a sound system. I am happy for you, that you have found a loudspeaker you are happy with....It is about time, after the merry go round you have been on. You are not alone, on this merry go round. I have heard some EP speakers in my past, and " I " do not like the design, for " what I want ". I am also in a home, without connecting walls, to neighbors, and have a room that is acoustically pretty nice. This is important to me, to have a nice room, as much as the equipment, otherwise, headphone listening is the way to go. I appreciate that my system, and the environment, can easily reach musical peaks above 100 db, as this is critical, to me, for realistic music interpretations, of what is on my recordings, so I may connect with the emotional content of the composers, and the players, on every genre of recording I am playing. I do not listen seriously at 75 db peaks, although I could. And the room does not get in the way of this. I have been around live, unamplified music, much of my life, and horn speakers, all of my life. Live, unamplified music, is what I use to judge systems by. Nothing like it, and I have come to a realization, that nothing will. Recordings are the limiting factor. However, my buddies and I can plug in a mixer, with mics and guitars, and use my Lascalas for this purpose. I have owned many models of design, by many manufacturers, and have set up more systems, than you will ever know. This has lead me, to simply know what I like. Am I wrong ?.....If you think so, you are the one that is wrong. And yes, it you go back to your recent Advent experience, you were pretty adamant about this pair of speakers being the holy grail. And saying they were " superior " to a new set of Vandy 2s ". Actually, they are not, but " you " thought so. You also claimed they were better than some Monitor Audios you had, and others I do not recollect. So when you wake up, realizing that people differ from you, in the " sounds " and musical experiences they are looking for, I will listen to your words. But, as long as you make comments such that you do, I will simply see you as a " nose up in the air ", pompous, and pretend know it all, because what you think you know, you really don’t. Have a nice day. There is no further need to communicate with me. MrD.
My primary reference comes from decades of mixing hundreds of live concerts by a very wide range of musicians. I own "current and up to date" gear from my hifi rig to piles of professional gear, home recording things, musical instruments all over my house, and various monitors the like...I can say with certainty that Heresy IIIs do not have "somewhat of an old school sound"...maybe old versions do, but not these. Crisp, accurate, coherent sound from a classic single ended tube amp sounding utterly like a current state of the art system, and I can listen to other stuff at nearby "salons' like Goodwin's...those rarely impress to a degree that would make me  doubt what I have in my listening room.
I’ve heard all of the speakers helomech mentions...a couple of ’em extensively, and I still maintain that Heresy IIIs have mids that utterly give up nothing to those brands, and in fact I’ll argue that in terms of lifelike tonal qualities and realism
LMAO! Uh, no apparently you haven’t, or your auditory memory failed you  miserably in those assessments. Compare a Stirling Broadcast LS3/6, Maggie 0.7, KEF LS50, Vandy 1Ci, or Spatial M4 Turbo S (list goes on) back-to-back with H-IIIs and you’ll realize how colored the Heresy midrange really is. While I agree with Mr. Decibel that there are resonance problems with the horns and cabinets, adding constrained-layer bituminous pads (Dynamat) does little to remedy it IME. I thought I detected some improvement at first (the all too common placebo effect), but careful A/B comparisons with my other speakers revealed that any improvement was minute. The midrange is still polluted with resonances.

I’ll agree with you that Heresy IIIs manage to create that "live" sensation quite well, but I think that’s only because most live performances are amplified through horn-loaded PA speakers.

The ironic thing here is I have no horse in this race. Like you, I enjoy H-IIIs, but unlike you, I don’t consider them end-game speakers, nor do I consider them a great value at MSRP, especially after their recent price hike. If anything, I should be extolling the virtues of H-IIIs in hopes of getting a good price when I eventually sell my pair. But alas, in the interest of the greater good of the hobby, I prefer honesty in sharing my assessments. Again, I never said the H-III is a bad speaker. I consider them great speakers in the context of what they do well, and the price they can be bought for secondhand.


Helo, I appreciate your response. Unlike you, I do accept, and appreciate, that not everyone listens the same, uses the same " references " when listening to recorded music, and that each individual, determines what it is that " they are after ", in a sound system. I am happy for you, that you have found a loudspeaker you are happy with....It is about time, after the merry go round you have been on. You are not alone, on this merry go round. I have heard some EP speakers in my past, and " I " do not like the design, for " what I want ". I am also in a home, without connecting walls, to neighbors, and have a room that is acoustically pretty nice. This is important to me, to have a nice room, as much as the equipment, otherwise, headphone listening is the way to go. I appreciate that my system, and the environment, can easily reach musical peaks above 100 db, as this is critical, to me, for realistic music interpretations, of what is on my recordings, so I may connect with the emotional content of the composers, and the players, on every genre of recording I am playing. I do not listen seriously at 75 db peaks, although I could. And the room does not get in the way of this. I have been around live, unamplified music, much of my life, and horn speakers, all of my life. Live, unamplified music, is what I use to judge systems by. Nothing like it, and I have come to a realization, that nothing will. Recordings are the limiting factor. However, my buddies and I can plug in a mixer, with mics and guitars, and use my Lascalas for this purpose. I have owned many models of design, by many manufacturers, and have set up more systems, than you will ever know. This has lead me, to simply know what I like. Am I wrong ?.....If you think so, you are the one that is wrong. And yes, it you go back to your recent Advent experience, you were pretty adamant about this pair of speakers being the holy grail. And saying they were " superior " to a new set of Vandy 2s ". Actually, they are not, but " you " thought so. You also claimed they were better than some Monitor Audios you had, and others I do not recollect. So when you wake up, realizing that people differ from you, in the " sounds " and musical experiences they are looking for, I will listen to your words. But, as long as you make comments such that you do, I will simply see you as a " nose up in the air ", pompous, and pretend know it all, because what you think you know, you really don’t. Have a nice day. There is no further need to communicate with me. MrD.

Mr. D,
 I’m sorry that both your reading comprehension and hearing ability have begun to fail you, but I understand that’s a common issue in old age.



I just wanted to add my thoughts on this being a Klipsch Hertiage owner for 30 yrs starting with my Khorns and Hersey II's.

As someone mentioned the Klipsch forums is a wealth of information and good deals in the Garage Sale section. I have been a Heritage member there for 20+ yrs, there are alot of great people there to help in any way they can. They throw one hell of a party in Hope every couple of years for the Pilgrimage.

I have even sold Klipsch when I dabbled in the audio business part time way back.  One thing about Klipsch, people either love them or hate, no down the middle. I dislike their subs, to boomie for my taste, great for movies, lousy for music.

 I sold a pair of original RF7 on a Saturday and the guy was back by Tuesday complaining they actually hurt his ears, and he was not alone with that sentiment. He actually settled on Monitor Audio Golds more of a musical speaker line. Klipsch are slam in your face loud but I also love the musical soundstage they throw at you when you listen to a live recording, oh yes, strings here, horns there, and percussion in the back. To me there is no better speaker at doing the live soundstage.  PWK was more than just an Engineer who believed lamp cord was just fine for speaker wire and $10K cables made him laugh.

I was aware the day Klipsch announced the end of the Heritage line in 2000, I'm not kidding, there was such a revolt on their website forum board, it was a wild time. 

That day I went to my local Dealer and ordered a pair of LaScala's thinking no way in hell would I get a pair, especially up to Canada. In 6 months time he calls me. I got 1pr out of the last 20 that were built of the LaScala in Hope with serial #'s 0001/0002 which I was told was yr 2000, the last year of production and they sit new in their original boxes open to air now and then, less than 1 hrs playtime, my girls...ha... 

And that's my brush with greatness...I did meet Johnny Cash in an airport once...

I would look at the Klipsch site for a used pr of Cornwalls or even cheap LaScalas if your state side. New in that range the Forte III's are nice, I have original Forte's and use them in a seperate room close to your size, abit smaller for 2 channel. 

Cheers and good hunting. 
I strongly agree with Oside. I too have a pair of Chorus II with Bob Crites upgraded caps in my den and they probably get the most use. While my sound/theater room has 4 Khorns with a "Cornscala" center and 4 Heresy surrounds.

You would do well to audition the Heresys. They will give you a good idea of the top end as all Klipsch heritage use the same/similar tweets(there are different diaphragm materials and different horn materials used). The Heresys are hard to beat matched with a good sub but..... the mids are best in the LaScalas, Belles, and KHorns.

For those unfamiliar the "Cornscala" is a DIY build using La Scala/Khorn mids and tweets and a Cornwall Bass section providing the best of both worlds. Step by step directions can be Googled easily. While some have gone off on tangents and substituted other brands pieces parts, the true Cornscalas have all OEM Klipsch parts save the Bob Crites superb crossovers specifically designed for the "Cornscala" build.

A table saw, biscuit cutter and a bit of forum/Ebay shopping can net you an amazing pair of speakers. Bob Crites also offers Klipsch cane grille material to finish your build.

While I love my Khorns they do not quite have the bass the "Cornscalas" have. And the Cornscalas don’t require being wedged into an unobstructed corner to function properly.

Klipsch is always upgrading their horns so purchasing a set of big mid horns is not as hard as it seems. They want you to upgrade you horns. All you need is a set of serial numbers for Khorns or LaScalas to purchase a brand new pair of their latest and greatest mid horns. There are metal. plastic and composite horns to my knowledge out there. They all sound amazing!

Especially if you like it loud....cuz Klipsch are not just speakers. They are LOUD SPEAKERS!
I still stand by the excellent mids in my Heresy IIIs along with everything else I said...and really helomach, you're lookin' kinda creepy at this point...if you refuse to respond respectfully please refrain from responding at all.
Do you consider mrd's responses respectful? He called my speakers "overpriced" even though he had only heard them at a show. I have heard Klipsch speakers at shows, at dealers and in homes. 
Hello everyone I have a question...
Will the New Forte Speakers sound good 
at low Volumes or do they need to be played lound to enjoy...thank you..
I think that you really need to play Klipsch speakers loud to enjoy what they do well. Of course there are any number of other horn systems that play as loud and have fewer significant shortcomings. To be fair most of these horns are more expensive if you dont want to DIY. A great deal of low volume quality is amp dependent I think with tube amps having the best linearity at low volumes. 

I haven't heard the new Forte speakers, so can't speak to them, but in my experience, Klipsch Heritage, Legend, and Epic speakers sound good at lower volumes. 

I had my Crites modded Heresy I in my office for quite a while and listened mostly to jazz on the local NPR station.  They sounded great at low volume.  I have a pair of KLF-30 in my bedroom currently and the volume on my ARC LS26 rarely goes past 2 or 3 (on a scale of 1-103). 

Personally, I think many Klipsch speakers sound their worst at high volumes.  That's when some of their worst characteristics are accentuated and they hurt my ears.  Some of that depends of course on the room, the rest of the system, and listening distance, and personal taste. 

My KLF-30s are very smooth and can be played very loud without sounding "bright" and don't hurt my ears, even at fairly close listening distance.  In contrast, we have a local music meetup group and we have listened to La Scalas a number of times at a local audio store.  When played loud, they started to hurt my ears and I wanted to leave the room.  The other 5 or 6 guys there all thought they sounded great however, and most of them have better systems than mine.
@jsautter , you, and others, come on here, a positive thread, in which happy Klipsch owners gather, and you speak negatively about you experiences. Nothing wrong with that, as this is an open forum. But, I do feel, as price goes up with equipment ( speakers in this case ), so do expectations. At 40 K retail, I would think that your speakers would do more, of what my modified Lascalas do, and, even at a show, I can make this determination. I am a gifted and experienced listener ( I know many others, so I am not singling myself out ), and can determine, and separate, what is the room, and what is the speaker, when creating the " presentation ". Live, unamplified music contains several " audio artifacts ", which I feel, horns, done right ( and do not need to be perfect, because perfect is impossible ), come closest, in delivering upon these, " to me ". This is " my story ", and it does not matter if you, or anyone else, disagrees.....I have said, since my very early posts here on the "Gon, that although I enjoy my Klipsch ( and many Klipsch, especially when I get done with them ), there is an extreme diversity of listeners. We are all different, we all want something, and once you find that something.....great ! The bashing and negativity is ridiculous. Music listening is a fun and an emotional experience for most of us. I could never, and would never, come on here and say, " unless you own a pair of modified Lascalas, you have not heard anything ". Not everyone is me. And, I understand this. However, I will defend, that this is " what I want ". End of story......Enjoy ! MrD.
I expect everyone to think exactly as I do as my impeccable taste and astonishing experience dictates that. Anyone who disagrees with me is simply off their rocker, so to speak...I can also provide sartorial suggestions and lawn mowing technique improvement tips, but prefer not to. Also, Mr. "D" is allowed, by me of course, to respond with the term "overpriced" regardless of the incredible and possibly irreversible psychological trauma that term can cause to the uber sensitive among us...it's simply how "the ball bounces" although hey, a trigger warning might be warranted before further like minded utterances. More to the point, my primary experience of Klipsch anything has been from my 3 years or so with Heresy IIIs which were modded with "dampit" stuff...I've personally modded them further with frequent dusting, as I think dust can effect the sound by providing thousands of tiny out of phase reflection points only noticeable when one has the finely tuned audio skills I do, otherwise nobody should care about that, or anything I just posted.
Are you sure wolf's post is not directed at you mrd? After all I think it was you who said "I am a gifted and experienced listener". I would suggest that it is the Klipsch crowd who are the "uber sensitive". I dont recall Wilson or Magico fanboys responding as aggressively and claiming dominion over any thread mentioning their speakers of choice. Obviously you guys like Klipsch and I dont there is not much else to say I guess.  
Jsauter...you will be sorely missed...farewell and good luck. Also, Klipsch speakers are often "uber sensitive" so maybe that's what you read. A pun?...well hell yes.
Post removed 

While the ringing of the metal that horns are most-often made of (there are a few guys making them out of wood) is what any coloration heard from them is attributed to, the dimensions of the horn itself is more responsible for the coloration. It's a very technical matter, but information about the effects of horn throats on sound is available for anyone willing to dig to find it.

But ALL loudspeakers are colored, in one way or another, and in varying degrees. We all pick the coloration we find least objectionable, and learn to live with it. Very much like a wife ;-) .

" If you have the space, forget Klipsch and try the Spatial Audio M5 Sapphire. Even their predecessors, the M4 Turbos, were far more refined than any Klipsch speaker I've heard. If you want Klipsch dynamics without sacrificing refinement, that's the route to go. This is coming from a Heresy III owner. "
  Every once in a while you get to read something so preposterous that you can't help but respond and this quoted comment is one of those. An ahem, "owner" of the bottom entry level Heritage Klipsch speaker says blah blah better than any Klipsch speaker he has heard. One might wonder what he has actually heard that would allow him to make this statement.
" LMAO! Uh, no apparently you haven’t, or your auditory memory failed you miserably in those assessments. Compare a Stirling Broadcast LS3/6, Maggie 0.7, KEF LS50, Vandy 1Ci, or Spatial M4 Turbo S (list goes on) back-to-back with H-IIIs and you’ll realize how colored the Heresy midrange really is. While I agree with Mr. Decibel that there are resonance problems with the horns and cabinets, adding constrained-layer bituminous pads (Dynamat) does little to remedy it IME. I thought I detected some improvement at first (the all too common placebo effect), but careful A/B comparisons with my other speakers revealed that any improvement was minute. The midrange is still polluted with resonances.

I’ll agree with you that Heresy IIIs manage to create that "live" sensation quite well, but I think that’s only because most live performances are amplified through horn-loaded PA speakers.

The ironic thing here is I have no horse in this race. Like you, I enjoy H-IIIs, but unlike you, I don’t consider them end-game speakers, nor do I consider them a great value at MSRP, especially after their recent price hike. If anything, I should be extolling the virtues of H-IIIs in hopes of getting a good price when I eventually sell my pair. But alas, in the interest of the greater good of the hobby, I prefer honesty in sharing my assessments. Again, I never said the H-III is a bad speaker. I consider them great speakers in the context of what they do well, and the price they can be bought for secondhand. "
   Well in further reading I guess what we have here is someone bored and looking to stir the pot.I just love buzz word salad tossed together and served with tender chunks of baloney then presented as authoritative opinion.
I retired and bought a set of powered speakers for my small office.  I had this system in the basement but hadn't used it for years.  My son came home and bugged me to play it.  It wasn't even put together after I installed carpet.  Well..the Sunfire preamp buzzed but it would play.  We put the passive preamp in and that helped.  I bought the Schiit Aegir and that helped but the old RF3 got strained and edgy when turned up.  So somehow I stumbled onto The Bob Crites speakers and bought the Cornscala B version.  Bob said this is the one he sells the most.  I let them send to me complete.  They are made out of Russian birch unfinished; 115 pounds each.  They are imposing things at 25 inches wide.  I have about 20 hours of play on them.  I am still messing around with placement, installed bass traps and we are putting side wall traps up soon.  The sound is much better.  I have not had a chance to sit side by side and A/B the Klipsch style sound with other style speakers but I feel these are very good sounding.  I played Vladamir Horowitz and the piano sounded real.  Electronic and rock music has at times scared me with the slam!  Full orchestra is dynamic and natural sounding.  The sound stage is quite good(taller and wider than the speakers).  I feel like I am listening to all the music I am familiar with for the first time.  By the way, Bob has upgraded drivers over the years.  These have a nice paper 15 inch woofer, I think a JBL midrange and a Selenium tweeter.  I feel I have a very nice system for about $4k.  That cost doesn't count the crossover, 2 subs and amp I have had for years.  The system will go to 30 Hz at 105 dB.  These are Eminence drivers for the subs.
My Cornscala Type "B" are due to arrive this week. My choice was one of economics. I wanted the Cornwall IV...but a $2000 price hike pushed me to the Cornscala. I’m in the process of putting together what will be my future retirement gift to myself and a listening room. I figure the Cornscala’s will be a good start and at $2300 including shipping, I thought they’re worth the gamble.
You won't find me listening to classical or jazz however. I'm ready to stream some blues and Led Zepp.
Mr. badger_erich:  What a coincidence we both bought the Cornscala and are both retiring! I think you will be pleasantly surprised.  Give them a few hours of listening to break in.  Decided to clear coat mine.  Hand applying Danish Oil which can be rubbed off easily if you get some buildup in the corners. 
I love my Heresy III....  sound great with just 40 watts of EL34 goodness.   
My Cornscalas arrived. They are a brute of a speaker and until I set them up, I never realized how much room they're going to take to set up correctly. Mine arrived with one speaker's woofer cables disconnected. Found this after I called Crites and was told to take the back off and make sure the connections were secure...they were not and the connection felt loose. No troubles, just put them back on and crimped them tighter.
These speakers rock the classic rock like no tomorrow which is what I wanted. Vinyl sounds especially good, but I am still "rebuilding" to a better audio only system. I'm running an old Yamaha RX-V1300 receiver which is far from being perfect and hopefully will be replaced over the next few months with a McIntosh MA8900...still working overtime at work to make that happen. I then want to add a decent streamer to the mix. Currently I'm streaming TIDAL via my Oppo 103 and using the DAC in the Oppo since it is most likely higher quality than the older Yamaha.
So, presently I am still listening and planning. I'll hang on to them for the foreseeable future, but if the real estate on the floor is needed, I may have to jump for a pair Forte' III.
I put clear Danish oil on mine.  I tried taking a picture but it doesn't show the true color.  It made them slightly golden but not much.  They look nice this way in my opinion. I do not recommend any pigment.  It can turn out really bad.  I think I will put a coat of Water Based Polyurethane on them.  If you are really handy, I have seen some with veneer that are awesome looking.  Obviously, that would be easier before the drivers are installed.  I am finding these are fairly flexible on placement but I have them out into the room about 4 ft and 32" from the side walls.  Class A amp or tubes is what I would get.  I can drive these to very loud levels with my 20 watt amp.  These come one brace for the midrange support and no batting.  I can feel some vibration in the walls but not sure if that makes them sound better if you install bracing and batting.  Bob says it doesn't matter.  Soundstaging is really good.  I really like these!
A Pass Labs XA25 would be my dream amp for these!!  My preamp quit so I am running my Bluetooth receiver directly into the crossover right now. 
is there any comparisons or reviews of the different Crites Cornscalas..sound quality, etc?
I have searched around and there aren't many reviews.  He has upgraded them over the years.  I am not a parts expert but the 120 tweeter is an improvement.  The midrange is a JBL.  The woofer is an Emminence, I think.  The woofer and tweeter are custom.  The D uses different drivers because of being 2 way These speakers are a great value if you have the room. 
are the Cornscalas a real improvement over the Cornwalls? my dilemma is that I want to try some Klipsch horns but can't move the whole speaker-box at this time... I may be able to get the boxes built where I am tho...maybe the kit would work... has anybody heard the 2 way Cornscala D series?
I have not heard the new Cornwall, but I have read that they are dynamite with the new midhorn. Google the Cornscala, you’ll find many references to them including the 2 way Cornscala "D". Like daledeee1 said, the Crites Cornscala line has been updated over the years in an effort to keep them current. I think the latest iterations have reportedly compared very favorable to the Cornwall and LaScala with more bass punch (in the case of the LaScala). For the price of the speaker assembled, you’re getting some quality components in a box made of Baltic Birch (like Klipsch used to assemble) for a very reasonable price. As a kit, if you’re a handyman and have the means to assemble one, they’re lower cost even still. I know many owners continue to tinker with the speakers even after they have built them. I do not plan on doing so, other than finishing the cabinet if I decide to keep them.
I looked back through my notes from Bob Crites and son. I asked about the "B" and "D" version. He said the B goes higher than D because of the CT120 tweeter. And most people buy the B. I am not sure if it is because he steers them that way or not?
This all started with me looking at going from RF3’s to Heresy. then when I figured out I would have as much or more money into rebuilding or purchasing a set of Heresy.
I have looked around for opinions about bracing and batting these cabinets but since I am not a speaker designer or wood worker, I better be careful.  According to Crites these two changes make no differences in the measurements.
I have heard the new Cornwall and it is the first version I have liked. The boomy box sound on the first three versions is gone and lined up in Hope for us to hear were the latest Heresy, Forte, Cornwall and La Scala. Of the four the La Scala showed the least improvement and the Cornwall the most. Until now my favorite Heritage type speaker were the Chorus speakers but no more. Now value for money spent I would any day seek out an old Chorus and recap the crossovers and stick a set of MAHL V2 tweeters in there and have awesome sound for much less than new Cornwalls. If the 6G was not a problem and I was not handy with speaker work you cant go wrong with the new Cornwall.

  Let me rephrase the I have liked comment. The new Cornwalls were jaw dropping better than any of the others and an amazing step up.
  One thing not mentioned much is the pro Klipsch gear out there. The KP-301 IF you can find any are the pro versions of the Chorus speakers and these respond really well to recaps and tweeter upgrades plus the crossover is different and these are 200 watt rated where the Chorus are 100 watt rated and both have the same 101db efficiency. If you get really lucky and have the space and WAF does not matter there are KPT-456's out there sometimes and KPT-904's. These often sell for $1,500 or there about and you will have entered a whole new world of audio quality.
 
does anybody have a link or source to a horn that would work suitably to get the Klipsch majik on a 2 way homebuilt speaker? Nothing super expensive... extra points if I can find it in south america....